Swedish Meatballs

Mmmmm...yum.

Comfort food to the extreme!!

Lemme tell ya...this is prob one of my family's favorite meals. It's a "Gram Original" (a la Carrot Gravy)...and if I haven't told you before...that girl can cook!
But...lemme warn ya...it's "putzier" than most of the one's I will give you. Totally worth it tho'!

Toadily.

Normally, I am afraid...very, very afraid of putzy meals. I just don't like spending a ton of time on a meal.

But I do for this...however...do not be afraid of the putz factor...honest to goodness...these are soooo incredibly yummy, you'll put me in your will.

Honest.

Scout's honor.

Okay...continuing on...

You'll need this:



And the meat:



That there, would be 2 lbs of hamburger and 1 pound of ground pork.

Pork + hamburger = a match made in heaven.

Amen.

Take out your trusty food processor...the older the better (heck! They don't even make my kind anymore!!), and process those crackers into fine little crumbs.



Next, using the same ancient processor...do the onion...until it is nice and watery!



Step aside...wipe the onion tears from your eyes, and continue on...
Add the onion, crackers, eggs,



And seasonings to the meat.



Now...it's time to put aside all weird neuroses about raw meat. You might want to wash your hands and remove any rings...just a fair warning.

Dig in, babe.



Mash it all up, mix it all together...it'll be pretty sticky! You could...if you wanted to...recruit a small meat mixer for you...take note of the dainty hands and half painted fingernails...they are not mine.



Now, I prefer my meatballs fried...I just prefer to not hafta fry them. And, ah...that's a problem.

But...I found a solution to my problem! If you brown the meatballs in the oven first, they are easier to handle in a frying pan!

You're welcome.

Again.

Anywho... using the small Pampered Chef scoop that I urged you to purchase earlier (hmmm...when's PC gonna catch on that I promote all of their products?!!!) brown the meatballs in the oven...any that can't fit on the baking pan, just toss 'em in the frying pan...



When the oven browned meatballs are good and firm and a little browned, toss 'em in batches into the frying pan...to get 'em good and browned.



Wait!!! Wait just a minute there, little miss...don't you dare throw out the greasy goodness that is on that baking sheet! Oh, no! That will get put into the gravy soon.

Very soon.

When all of the meatballs are browned...remove them from the pan, leaving all the greasy goodness in there...and add in three cans of cream of chicken soup. (Sorry...my bad...I cheat sometimes...what do they call it? Is it Sandra Lee? Sandra Dee? The "sort of homemade" girl? Yeah...that's me...)



Add a little water...


And stir it around...being sure to scrape up any yummy browned bits in the process.


Sprinkle in a little extra allspice and nutmeg...


And add in the meatballs, stirring gently to cover with the gravy.


Simmer until ready to eat (about an hour or better...so the gravy can get all yummy)...and serve with mashed potatoes!

(This is where you would kick yourself in the head...for forgetting to take a photo of the final product...the FINAL photo. Ugh...I am soooo not cut out to be a food blogger...but, I'll do it anyway!)

Be sure to eat this meal while wearing pants with an elastic waist. You'll thank me later for that piece of advice!

Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs. hamburger
1 lb. fresh ground pork
1 medium onion (process in food processor until slightly watery)
1 "sleeve" onion cracker crumbs (fine crumbs...food processor works great!)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper (to taste...just don't, you know, taste the raw hamburger! Use your best guess!)

Mix all together, form small balls (I use the smallest "Pampered Chef" cookie scoop) and brown (**see note below). Remove meatballs from pan. Save all drippings from pan and/or cookie sheet. In large frying pan, mix 2-3 cans cream of chicken soup along with a generous 1/2 can of water (soup can). Season gravy with a pinch of sugar, couple shakes of nutmeg and allspice, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Add meatballs, cook through until gravy is bubbly and slightly thinned.

Serve over or alongside (real!!) mashed potatoes. We love this meal with peas. Yummo!! Enjoy! Oh, and I'd love to hear if you love them as much as we do!

***Browning note: I prefer mine browned in a frying pan...this is the putzy part...I've found that if you drop them on a large, lightly buttered, cookie sheet and brown them in the oven on 375-400 for about 5 min, then throw them in the pan, it saves some time! They are firmer then and easier to work with! Or, if you don't care, just brown them all the way in the oven.